Investments | INVESTMENTS The following table details fixed maturity available-for-sale and equity securities, by major investment category, at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 : Cost or Adjusted/Amortized Cost Gross Unrealized Gains Gross Unrealized Losses Fair Value September 30, 2018 U.S. government and agency securities $ 104,822 $ — $ 2,093 $ 102,729 Foreign government 2,998 — 32 2,966 States, municipalities and political subdivisions 154,195 389 2,718 151,866 Public utilities 24,898 19 775 24,142 Corporate securities 296,009 197 6,610 289,596 Mortgage-backed securities 211,288 — 6,298 204,990 Asset backed securities 59,145 5 252 58,898 Redeemable preferred stocks 1,285 3 85 1,203 Total fixed maturities $ 854,640 $ 613 $ 18,863 $ 836,390 Mutual funds $ 44,589 $ 6,506 $ — $ 51,095 Public utilities 2,045 331 19 2,357 Other common stocks 27,016 10,893 341 37,568 Non-redeemable preferred stocks 2,098 8 34 2,072 Total equity securities $ 75,748 $ 17,738 $ 394 $ 93,092 December 31, 2017 U.S. government and agency securities $ 93,827 $ 40 $ 1,241 $ 92,626 Foreign government 2,022 14 — 2,036 States, municipalities and political subdivisions 200,706 1,929 1,123 201,512 Public utilities 20,215 127 85 20,257 Corporate securities 287,025 1,746 1,209 287,562 Mortgage-backed securities 143,982 235 952 143,265 Asset-backed securities 14,902 23 20 14,905 Redeemable preferred stocks 755 11 74 692 Total fixed maturities $ 763,434 $ 4,125 $ 4,704 $ 762,855 Mutual fund $ 29,079 $ 2,845 $ — $ 31,924 Public utilities 1,343 359 — 1,702 Other common stocks 18,856 9,093 47 27,902 Non-redeemable preferred stocks 1,718 53 4 1,767 Total equity securities $ 50,996 $ 12,350 $ 51 $ 63,295 When we sell investments, we calculate the gain or loss realized on the sale by comparing the sales price (fair value) to the cost or adjusted/amortized cost of the security sold. We determine the cost or adjusted/amortized cost of the security sold using the specific-identification method. The following table details our realized gains (losses) by major investment category for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 : 2018 2017 Gains (Losses) Fair Value at Sale Gains (Losses) Fair Value at Sale Three Months Ended September 30, Fixed maturities $ 12 $ 4,864 $ 123 $ 11,368 Equity securities 8 411 1 156 Total realized gains 20 5,275 124 11,524 Fixed maturities (441 ) 46,268 (195 ) 10,517 Equity securities (26 ) 387 — — Total realized losses (467 ) 46,655 (195 ) 10,517 Net realized investment gains (losses) $ (447 ) $ 51,930 $ (71 ) $ 22,041 Nine Months Ended September 30, Fixed maturities $ 68 $ 11,745 $ 263 $ 30,264 Equity securities 517 1,593 8 175 Total realized gains 585 13,338 271 30,439 Fixed maturities (1,233 ) 116,587 (815 ) 47,913 Equity securities (26 ) 387 (10 ) 100 Total realized losses (1,259 ) 116,974 (825 ) 48,013 Net realized investment gains (losses) $ (674 ) $ 130,312 $ (554 ) $ 78,452 The table below summarizes our fixed maturities at September 30, 2018 by contractual maturity periods. Actual results may differ as issuers may have the right to call or prepay obligations, with or without penalties, prior to the contractual maturities of those obligations. September 30, 2018 Cost or Amortized Cost Percent of Total Fair Value Percent of Total Due in one year or less $ 70,131 8.2 % $ 69,785 8.3 % Due after one year through five years 337,014 39.4 % 331,204 39.6 % Due after five years through ten years 164,523 19.3 % 159,481 19.1 % Due after ten years 12,539 1.5 % 12,032 1.4 % Asset and mortgage backed securities 270,433 31.6 % 263,888 31.6 % Total $ 854,640 100.0 % $ 836,390 100.0 % The following table summarizes our net investment income by major investment category: Three Months Ended September 30, Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 2017 2018 2017 Fixed maturities $ 5,725 $ 4,111 $ 15,929 $ 10,696 Equity securities 525 375 1,455 940 Cash and cash equivalents 588 285 1,427 445 Other investments 41 124 830 385 Other assets 9 6 24 23 Investment income 6,888 4,901 19,665 12,489 Investment expenses (267 ) (213 ) (756 ) (482 ) Net investment income $ 6,621 $ 4,688 $ 18,909 $ 12,007 Portfolio monitoring We have a comprehensive portfolio monitoring process to identify and evaluate each fixed income security whose carrying value may be other-than-temporarily impaired. For each fixed income security in an unrealized loss position, we determine if the loss is temporary or other-than-temporary. If our management decides to sell the security or determines that it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the security before recovery of the cost or amortized cost basis for reasons such as liquidity needs, contractual or regulatory requirements, then the security's decline in fair value is considered other-than-temporary and is recorded in earnings. If we have not made the decision to sell the fixed income security and it is more likely than not that we will be required to sell the fixed income security before recovery of its amortized cost basis, we evaluate whether we expect the security to receive cash flows sufficient to recover the entire cost or amortized cost basis of the security. We calculate the estimated recovery value by discounting the best estimate of future cash flows at the security's original or current effective rate, as appropriate, and compare this to the cost or amortized cost of the security. If we do not expect to receive cash flows sufficient to recover the entire cost or amortized cost basis of the fixed income security, the credit loss component of the impairment is recorded in earnings, with the remaining amount of the unrealized loss related to other factors recognized in other comprehensive income. Our portfolio monitoring process includes a quarterly review of all fixed-income securities to identify instances where the fair value of a security compared to its cost or amortized cost is below established thresholds. The process also includes the monitoring of other impairment indicators such as ratings, ratings downgrades and payment defaults. The securities identified, in addition to other securities for which we may have a concern, are evaluated for potential other-than-temporary impairment using information relevant to the collectability or recovery of the security that is reasonably available. Inherent in our evaluation of other-than-temporary impairment for these fixed income securities are assumptions and estimates about the financial condition and future earnings potential of the issue or issuer. Some of the factors that may be considered in evaluating whether a decline in fair value is other-than-temporary are: (1) the financial condition, near-term and long-term prospects of the issue or issuer, including relevant industry specific market conditions and trends, geographic location and implications of rating agency actions and offering prices; (2) the specific reasons that a security is in an unrealized loss position, including overall market conditions which could affect liquidity; and (3) the length of time and extent to which the fair value has been less than amortized cost or cost. The following table presents an aging of our unrealized investment losses by investment class: Less Than Twelve Months Twelve Months or More Number of Securities (1) Gross Unrealized Losses Fair Value Number of Securities (1) Gross Unrealized Losses Fair Value September 30, 2018 U.S. government and agency securities 83 $ 580 $ 48,600 56 $ 1,513 $ 54,114 Foreign governments 5 32 2,966 — — — States, municipalities and political subdivisions 132 1,742 103,690 43 976 30,133 Public utilities 41 672 19,812 6 103 1,976 Corporate securities 481 4,752 217,405 90 1,858 49,688 Mortgage-backed securities 180 4,683 173,692 89 1,615 29,984 Asset backed securities 83 250 51,428 7 2 1,362 Redeemable preferred stocks 8 25 749 2 60 200 Total fixed maturities 1,013 12,736 618,342 293 6,127 167,457 Mutual Fund 1 — 56 — — — Public utilities 8 19 672 — — — Other common stocks 70 305 4,103 1 36 91 Non-redeemable preferred stocks 18 32 1,506 3 2 19 Total equity securities 97 356 6,337 4 38 110 Total 1,110 $ 13,092 $ 624,679 297 $ 6,165 $ 167,567 December 31, 2017 U.S. government and agency securities 40 $ 166 $ 26,979 73 $ 1,075 $ 58,980 States, municipalities and political subdivisions 106 734 91,245 31 389 19,718 Public utilities 16 44 7,052 5 41 1,016 Corporate securities 263 871 134,755 52 338 16,476 Mortgage-backed securities 89 475 76,349 50 477 15,210 Asset-backed securities 18 20 11,682 — — — Redeemable preferred stocks — — — 3 74 303 Total fixed maturities 532 2,310 348,062 214 2,394 111,703 Mutual Funds 1 — 131 — — — Other common stocks 5 47 748 — — — Non-redeemable preferred stocks 4 4 87 — — — Total equity securities 10 51 966 — — — Total 542 $ 2,361 $ 349,028 214 $ 2,394 $ 111,703 (1) This amount represents the actual number of discrete securities, not the number of shares or units of those securities. The numbers are not presented in thousands. During our quarterly evaluations of our securities for impairment, we determined that none of our investments in fixed-income securities that reflected an unrealized loss position were other-than-temporarily impaired. The issuers of our debt securities continue to make interest payments on a timely basis. We do not intend to sell nor is it likely that we would be required to sell the debt securities before we recover our amortized cost basis. Due to the adoption of ASU 2016-01 as of January 1, 2018, equity securities are reported at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in valuation of equity investments and are no longer included in impairment write-downs, change in intent write-downs and sales. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018 and 2017 , we recorded no other-than-temporary impairment charges. Fair value measurement Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The hierarchy for inputs used in determining fair value maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that observable inputs be used when available. Assets and liabilities recorded on our Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at fair value are categorized in the fair value hierarchy based on the observability of inputs to the valuation techniques as follows: Level 1: Assets and liabilities whose values are based on unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in an active market that we can access. Level 2: Assets and liabilities whose values are based on the following: (a) Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; (b) Quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active; or (c) Valuation models whose inputs are observable, directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability. Level 3: Assets and liabilities whose values are based on prices or valuation techniques that require inputs that are both unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement. Unobservable inputs reflect our estimates of the assumptions that market participants would use in valuing the assets and liabilities. We estimate the fair value of our investments using the closing prices on the last business day of the reporting period, obtained from active markets such as the NYSE, Nasdaq and NYSE American. For securities for which quoted prices in active markets are unavailable, we use a third-party pricing service that utilizes quoted prices in active markets for similar instruments, benchmark interest rates, broker quotes and other relevant inputs to estimate the fair value of those securities for which quoted prices are unavailable. Our estimates of fair value reflect the interest rate environment that existed as of the close of business on September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 . Changes in interest rates subsequent to September 30, 2018 may affect the fair value of our investments. The fair value of our fixed maturities is initially calculated by a third-party pricing service. Valuation service providers typically obtain data about market transactions and other key valuation model inputs from multiple sources and, through the use of proprietary models, produce valuation information in the form of a single fair value for individual fixed income and other securities for which a fair value has been requested. The inputs used by the valuation service providers include, but are not limited to, market prices from recently completed transactions and transactions of comparable securities, interest rate yield curves, credit spreads, liquidity spreads, currency rates and other information, as applicable. Credit and liquidity spreads are typically implied from completed transactions and transactions of comparable securities. Valuation service providers also use proprietary discounted cash flow models that are widely accepted in the financial services industry and similar to those used by other market participants to value the same financial information. The valuation models take into account, among other things, market observable information as of the measurement date, as described above, as well as the specific attributes of the security being valued, including its term, interest rate, credit rating, industry sector and, where applicable, collateral quality and other issue or issuer specific information. Executing valuation models effectively requires seasoned professional judgment and experience. For our Level 3 assets, our internal pricing method is primarily based on models using our share of the net asset value of the limited partnership interests as provided on the financial statements of the investee. In certain circumstances, management may adjust the net asset value when it has sufficient evidence to support applying such adjustments. Any change in the estimated fair value of our fixed-income securities would impact the amount of unrealized gain or loss we have recorded, which could change the amount we have recorded for our investments and other comprehensive income on our Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of September 30, 2018 . The following table presents the fair value of our financial instruments measured on a recurring basis by level at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 : Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 September 30, 2018 U.S. government and agency securities $ 102,729 $ — $ 102,729 $ — Foreign government 2,966 — 2,966 — States, municipalities and political subdivisions 151,866 — 151,866 — Public utilities 24,142 — 24,142 — Corporate securities 289,596 — 289,596 — Mortgage-backed securities 204,990 — 204,990 — Asset-backed securities 58,898 — 58,898 — Redeemable preferred stocks 1,203 821 382 — Total fixed maturities 836,390 821 835,569 — Mutual funds 51,095 51,095 — — Public utilities 2,357 2,357 — — Other common stocks 37,568 37,568 — — Non-redeemable preferred stocks 2,072 2,072 — — Total equity securities 93,092 93,092 — — Other long-term investments 8,330 300 2,173 5,857 Total investments $ 937,812 $ 94,213 $ 837,742 $ 5,857 December 31, 2017 U.S. government and agency securities $ 92,626 $ — $ 92,626 $ — Foreign government 2,036 — 2,036 — States, municipalities and political subdivisions 201,512 — 201,512 — Public utilities 20,257 — 20,257 — Corporate securities 287,562 — 287,562 — Mortgage-backed securities 143,265 — 143,265 — Asset-backed securities 14,905 — 14,905 — Redeemable preferred stocks 692 692 — — Total fixed maturities 762,855 692 762,163 — Mutual Funds 31,924 31,924 — — Public utilities 1,702 1,702 — — Other common stocks 27,902 27,902 — — Non-redeemable preferred stocks 1,767 1,767 — — Total equity securities 63,295 63,295 — — Other long-term investments 8,381 300 7,447 634 Total investments $ 834,531 $ 64,287 $ 769,610 $ 634 The carrying amounts for the following financial instrument categories approximate their fair values at September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017 , because of their short-term nature: cash and cash equivalents, accrued investment income, premiums receivable, reinsurance recoverable, reinsurance payable, other assets, and other liabilities. The carrying amount of the notes payable to the Florida State Board of Administration, the Branch Banking & Trust Corporation (BB&T) and our senior notes approximate fair value as the interest rates and terms are variable. The table below presents the rollforward of our Level 3 investments held at fair value during the nine months ended September 30, 2018 : Other Investments December 31, 2017 $ 634 Transfers in 5,507 Partnership income 261 Return of capital (482 ) Unrealized gains in accumulated other comprehensive income (63 ) September 30, 2018 $ 5,857 We are responsible for the determination of fair value and the supporting assumptions and methodologies. We have implemented a system of processes and controls designed to provide assurance that our assets and liabilities are appropriately valued. For fair values received from third parties, our processes are designed to provide assurance that the valuation methodologies and inputs are appropriate and consistently applied, the assumptions are reasonable and consistent with the objective of determining fair value, and the fair values are accurately recorded. At the end of each quarter, we determine whether we need to transfer the fair values of any securities between levels of the fair value hierarchy and, if so, we report the transfer as of the end of the quarter. During the quarter ended September 30, 2018 , we transferred two investments from Level 2 to Level 3 investments, due to changes in the availability of market observable inputs. We used unobservable inputs to derive our estimated fair value for Level 3 investments, and the unobservable inputs are significant to the overall fair value measurement. For our investments in U.S. government securities that do not have prices in active markets, agency securities, state and municipal governments, and corporate bonds, we obtain the fair values from our investment custodians, which use a third-party valuation service. The valuation service calculates prices for our investments in the aforementioned security types on a month-end basis by using several matrix-pricing methodologies that incorporate inputs from various sources. The model the valuation service uses to price U.S. government securities and securities of states and municipalities incorporates inputs from active market makers and inter-dealer brokers. To price corporate bonds and agency securities, the valuation service calculates non-call yield spreads on all issuers, uses option-adjusted yield spreads to account for any early redemption features, and adds final spreads to the U.S. Treasury curve at 3 p.m. (ET) as of quarter end. Since the inputs the valuation service uses in its calculations are not quoted prices in active markets, but are observable inputs, they represent Level 2 inputs. Other investments We acquired investments in limited partnerships, recorded in the other investments line of our Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and these investments are currently being accounted for at fair value utilizing a net asset value per share equivalent methodology. The estimated fair value of our investments in the limited partnership interests at September 30, 2018 was $8,029,000 . We have fully funded two investments and are still obligated to fund an additional $2,708,000 for the remaining four investments. The information presented in the table below is as of September 30, 2018 : Book Value Unrealized Gain Unrealized Loss Fair Value Limited partnership investments $ 7,769 $ 260 $ — $ 8,029 Certificates of deposit 300 — — 300 Total other investments $ 8,069 $ 260 $ — $ 8,329 Portfolio loans At December 31, 2017 , we held commercial portfolio loans of $20,000,000 . We believe that making sound loans is a necessary and desirable means of employing funds available for investment. Recognizing our obligation to our stockholders, management is expected to seek to develop and make sound, profitable loans that resources permit and that opportunity affords. These were short-term collateralized loans (less than one year), which were repaid in full in April 2018, primarily from cash flows of the borrowers. |